The Ruffian On The Stair Review – The Hope Theatre
THE RUFFIAN ON THE STAIR
“The heart is situated just below this badge on my pullover. Don’t miss, will you?”
A review by Tanya Howard
When a young man says he’s looking for a room, he has so much more on his mind. For Joyce, an ex prostitute, hiding away from the world, does he bring release, or a different kind of ending? Left alone by her protector Mike, she has to deal with the intrusion on her own terms with unexpected results.
The Ruffian On The Stairs comprised of a very simple set, portraying the kitchen and living room of a first floor flat in Islington, 1967. Sometimes a play struggles to portray an entire plot line through such a simple set but with running water and actual tea served from the tiny kitchen this was not an issue for this particular play.
The only problem was the set-up of the audience, being only 5’2 I could have done with the stage or chairs being raised as there were points where I couldn’t see everything on stage. Although this was a problem at times it did not take away from the play and we really enjoyed the entire show and cast.
Lucy Benjamin and Gary Webster have a great chemistry on stage and play really well off each other. Their portrayal of a 60s couple, when women were more subdued, and the men ruled the roast, at times with their fists and through fear, was exceptional.
They transported us back to a different time, with Mike, a crime lord, having taken Joyce off the streets from a life of prostitution. Whilst he hadn’t made an honest woman of her through marriage they really did love each other, and the duo played their parts so well.
I have to say Adam Buchanan, in the role of Wilson, plays crazy well. His character finds out his brother was murdered, the brother that he was basically in love with and carrying on an incestual relationship with, and he can’t cope with this and wants to kill himself but doesn’t have the guts.
Arriving on Joyce and Mike’s door he begins to terrorise Joyce whilst getting into Mike’s good books before admitting that he knows Mike was a part of the “accident” that killed his brother. Despite this declaration he still manages to convince Mike that he is having an affair with Joyce, knowing intimate details from when she was on the street and as it turns out his brother was one of her customers.
Homosexuality, incest and murder, classic staples from author Joe Orton, are what caught director Paul Clayton’s attention, and probably what caught my eye as an interesting storyline. With an incredible cast, a cracking on-stage slap, an inevitable murder, although no expected the fish to get taken out in the process, I would definitely encourage you to see The Ruffian On The Stairs, at The Hope Theatre until 16th Feb, if you get the chance.
